Polymers of water soluble acrylamide in latex form are well known. Typical latices of such polymers are those described in the U.S. patents listed hereinafter. 3,231,533 discloses latices of polymers of at least one lower alkyl ester of an .alpha.,.beta.-olefinically unsaturated monocarboxylic acid, from 0 to 5% of an .alpha.,.beta.-olefinically unsaturated nitrile, from about 0.1 to 5% by weight of an .alpha.,.beta.-olefinically unsaturated carboxylic acid and about 0.1 to 5% by weight of a N-alkylol amide of an .alpha.,.beta.-olefinically unsaturated carboxylic acid. 3,344,103 discloses latices of more than 50% butadiene-1,3, styrene or acrylonitrile, 0.1 to 3% of an N-alkylol amide of an .alpha.,.beta.-olefinically unsaturated monocarboxylic acid and about 0.1 to 10% of an .alpha.,.beta.-olefinically unsaturated monocarboxylic acid. 3,047,548 discloses similar copolymers. 3,457,209 discloses latices of copolymers of a lower alkyl acrylate and an .alpha.,.beta.-olefinically unsaturated N-alkylol amide overpolymerized with an olefinically unsaturated carboxylic monomer. 3,315,012 discloses latices of a mixture of two latices, one an interpolymer of a lower acrylic ester and an unsaturated N-alkylol amide and another latex of a lower acrylic ester and an olefinically unsaturated amide. 3,361,695 discloses latices of at least 80% ethyl acrylate, more than 15% acrylic acid and 1 to 5% N-methylol methacrylamide. 3,288,740 discloses latices of an alkaline earth salt of an .alpha.,.beta.-monoethylenically unsaturated monocarboxylic acid with up to 30% of an N-methylol amide or N-methylol acid ester of an aliphatic alcohol and .alpha.,.beta.-ethylenically unsaturated dicarboxylic acid along with an acrylic ester and other vinylidene monomers. 3,137,589 discloses a latex of up to 20% of an unsaturated carboxylic acid amide substituted on nitrogen, at least one methylol group and 80 to 90% by weight of another ethylenically unsaturated polymerizable compound. All of these latices and similar materials wherein the polymer contains a water soluble amide are subject to thickening and gelling under certain processing and storage conditions unless the unreacted water soluble acrylamide or its derivative is completely removed from said latex.